Baldness

Baldness, also called alopecia, the lack or loss of hair. Two primary types of baldness can be distinguished: permanent hair loss, arising from abnormalities in or destruction of hair follicles, and temporary hair loss, arising from transitory damage to the follicles. The first category is dominated by male pattern baldness (androgenetic alopecia), which occurs to some degree in as much as 40 percent of some male populations. The hair loss in male pattern baldness progresses gradually, beginning with a characteristic recession of the hairline at the front or thinning of the crown hair and proceeding, in extreme cases, until only a thin rim of hair remains at the sides and back of the head (the “Hippocratic wreath”).

Male pattern baldness varies in degree and is usually seen in persons with comparatively heavy body and facial hair. It has a hereditary basis and is common among people of European or indigenous Australian ancestry. In the latter it is often accompanied by balding of the calves of the legs. It is less common among Asians, American Indians, and Africans. Bald patches of the scalp in male pattern baldness, rather than lacking hair follicles, actually contain miniaturized follicles. Follicle miniaturization appears to be associated with the fact that each follicle contains fewer progenitor hair cells than normal (progenitor hair cells eventually develop into mature hairs). In contrast, the follicles still contain normal numbers of hair stem cells, which are found in the bulge of the follicle and give rise to progenitor cells. Thus, it is suspected that the lack of hair growth in this form of baldness is caused by a defect in stem cell maturation. Imbalances in the level of male hormones (testosterone and androgens) circulating in the blood have also been implicated in male pattern baldness. A variation in a gene that encodes a type of androgen receptor has been associated with male pattern baldness, further indicating that abnormal activity of male hormones plays a role in the condition. Genetic variations associated with male pattern baldness have been identified elsewhere in the human genome as well and, along with the known variations in the androgen receptor gene, could be used to predict the condition.

Other causes of permanent baldness include many scar-producing skin diseases and injuries, inborn lack of hair development, and severe injury to hair follicles by chemical or physical agents. A temporary loss of hair occurs fairly commonly after conditions accompanied by high fever but may also be produced by X rays, ingestion of metals (such as thallium, tin, and arsenic) or drugs, malnutrition, some inflammatory skin diseases, chronic wasting diseases, and endocrine disorders. Alopecia areata, a fairly common disorder of unknown cause characterized by sharply outlined patches of sudden complete baldness, is also usually temporary.

There are three medical treatments for male pattern baldness. The first, hair transplantation, involves the transplanting of hair follicles from areas of the scalp where hair is still growing to areas where it is not—e.g., from the back to the front of the head.

The second treatment consists of the topical application of drugs. One drug, minoxidil, when applied to thinning areas of the scalp on a daily basis, is thought to be effective in preventing further hair loss in many cases and in growing new hair in a much smaller proportion of cases. The mechanism of minoxidil’s action remains unknown but is apparently related to the drug’s ability to dilate blood vessels, thereby affecting the blood supply (and the supply of circulating male hormones) to those areas of the scalp that are losing hair.

The third treatment is the systemic application of the drug finasteride. This drug is taken in pill form on a daily basis and appears to be effective in preventing further hair loss in most cases and growing new hair in a significant minority of cases. Finasteride works by reducing the body’s production of dihydrotestosterone, a powerful variant of testosterone that helps cause male pattern baldness.

Agents that restore the activity of hair stem cells in male pattern baldness are under investigation.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers, Senior Editor.

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